Natural Disasters
by SupernaturalGeek
Summary: A haunted house in San Francisco proves more dangerous than usual when Dean and Sam are caught in an earthquake.
1. Chapter 1

"So how many deaths have there been in this house again?"

Sam looked up from the paper he was studying.

"Uh, this one last week makes 10 over the last 15 years." he said scanning the article again.

"That is one busy spirit." said Dean, shaking his head.

"Yeah, well according to the newspaper they just blame it on people being in an unsafe building when they shouldn't be. The girl that got away? Cops blamed her story on 'shock and hysteria'. Guess it would sound pretty wacky to most people." said Sam dryly.

"Some people just have no imagination." said Dean with a smirk.

Sam folded up the paper and dropped it onto the back seat.

"Hey, Sammy?" said Dean suddenly.

Sam glanced at him.

"What?"

"You reckon we got any chance of running into those Halliwell sisters? That's San Francisco, right?"

Sam raised his eyebrows, fixing Dean with a disbelieving stare.

"You watch _Charmed_?"

Dean looked flustered for a second.

"_No_, I just, you know.. Caught it a couple times.. Changing channels." he said quickly.

Sam snorted. "Yeah, right – you caught it." he said, sounding amused.

"Yeah, well it's not like it's accurate. I mean, trust me I have never met a witch who looks like _that_." said Dean with a grin.

Sam rolled his eyes. "It's scary the way your mind works, Dean – seriously."

Dean's smirk just grew and Sam shook his head. Sometimes he wondered if they were actually related.

"It's not my fault you know – they're seriously hot chicks." said Dean, whistling appreciatively.

"Well, this house is on the outskirts of the city, so I'd say your chances of bumping into them are pretty remote." said Sam dryly.

"Yeah, but once we're done vanquishing Casper we can take a drive into the city can't we? I mean come on, Sammy – the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, those tram thingies." said Dean waving a hand enthusiastically.

"Could you be more of a geek about this?" said Sam, looking amused.

"Hey, you're the one always going on about us doing nothing but hunting. I just thought we might as well take a few days off, as we're here."

"Right. What's next, the Grand Canyon?" said Sam, grinning.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Fine, just don't go bitching about never having a day off. You can't say I didn't offer." he grumbled.

Sam shook his head, still grinning, and went back to watching the scenery go by.

Dean was still sulking as they pulled into the motel parking lot, shooting Sam a glare as he got out and went to book them in. Sam chuckled to himself. Sometimes it was just too easy to wind Dean up.

As Dean came out of the office and headed back towards the car, Sam got out and grabbed both bags as a kind of peace offering. As much fun as it was winding his brother up, he could do without the icy silence for the next few days.

Dean raised his eyebrow at Sam, and Sam gave a half smile. Dean rolled his eyes and walked ahead of Sam towards their room. Without words the apology had been offered and accepted. That was the way they did things. Even when they were kids they'd had a silent way of communicating that had at times driven John mad. Of course it seriously came in handy in their line of work at times.

Dean opened the door and Sam dumped both bags next to one of the beds. The room was clean and functional, although whoever had decorated it had clearly had fun in the Sixties and never fully recovered. Sam wasn't sure he'd ever seen so many colours in one place. Even Dean grimaced a little, glad they wouldn't have to stay there for too long.

"So, you wanna go check out the house, get the lay of the land first?" he said, turning to face Sam.

"Sure. It's only two blocks away." he said, turning round to head out the door again.

Dean followed, locking the motel room door behind them. As he started to head towards the Impala, Sam grabbed his arm.

"Come on, Dean – it's only two blocks. We can walk that." he said.

Dean looked at him. "Yeah, or we could drive there in the car and get there in half the time." he said, looking at Sam like he was crazy for even suggesting it.

"We're not exactly in a rush. Come on, walking is good for you – get some fresh air. Besides it'll look less obvious if we just happen to walk by the house instead of pulling up in front of it."

"Fine, I'll pull up down the road from it." said Dean, stubbornly.

"Dean, it's two blocks. You pull up down the road, you may as well leave the car here! Don't tell me you can't stand to be parted from it for 5 minutes?" he said with a smirk.

"Hilarious, Sam – I'm just saying why walk when you have a perfectly gorgeous car sitting there, waiting to be used?"

"Well, ok – if you insist. I just thought you might, you know, want to get the exercise" said Sam innocently.

Dean frowned at him. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Sam held his hands up. "Nothing, I just know it gets harder.. Keeping in shape.. At your age I mean."

"Hey, I am in _perfect _shape! This is all muscle, Sammy." said Dean, the picture of indignation.

Sam struggled to control his smirk. "I'm sure it is."

Dean continued to glare at him for a second, before turning round and stomping off towards the street.

"Fine, you wanna walk, lets walk!" he threw over his shoulder.

Sam chuckled as he jogged to catch up with him.

"Man, you are too easy sometimes." he said.

Dean just shoved Sam with his elbow, almost pushing him off the sidewalk.

"Bite me."

It only took them 10 minutes to get to the house. They slowed down as they approached it, trying to look casual. The house was a typical wooden design, and had probably once been pretty nice to look at but years of neglect meant it now had boards missing and all the windows were either broken or boarded up. The grass round it was almost as tall as they were and there were signs all over proclaiming 'Danger' and 'Keep out'.

"Perfect." said Dean shaking his head. Sam had to agree – it really did look like the archetypal haunted house.

Glancing up and down the street to make sure no one was watching them, Dean pushed open the rickety gate and they quickly walked round the back of the house, where there was more privacy. The back garden was as overgrown as the front, with weeds and ivy climbing everywhere. They climbed the old wooden steps cautiously and within seconds Dean had the back door open. He pulled out his flashlight as they went in, the entire place bathed in a murky gloom despite the sunshine outside.

Sam coughed as they kicked up clouds of dust as they walked across the old floorboards. Dean shone the flashlight in his face.

"Dude, you wanna make a little more noise in case Casper hasn't noticed we're here yet?" said Dean exasperatedly.

Sam knocked Dean's hand so the light wasn't in his eyes anymore and glared at him.

"Don't be such a jerk! It's not my fault you're so heavy you're kicking up clouds of dust as you walk!"

Before Dean could answer they suddenly heard a creaking noise. Switching instantly into hunter mode, they turned round and carefully made their way towards the front of the house. They stood in the hall, listening intently. Suddenly the house literally began to shake.

They both grabbed the wall for support, Dean staring at Sam with raised eyebrows.

"That's one hell of a spirit!" he said, but as the house began to shake even harder and the sound of car alarms going off drifted in from the street, Sam realised something.

"That's not the spirit, Dean – I think it's an earthquake!"

Dean's eyes widened. "Oh, you gotta be kidding me!"

They sound of falling masonry and breaking glass echoed in from the street outside. Something landed upstairs with a loud bang and Dean saw out of the corner of his eye a huge piece of ceiling detach itself right above Sam's head.

"Sam, look out!"

Sam didn't even have time to react as Dean tackled him out of the way. They landed on the floor, hard, and Dean staggered to his feet holding a hand out to help Sam up.

"Thanks" said Sam breathlessly.

They could barely stay on their feet now. "We gotta get out of here!" said Dean but even as he spoke Sam watched in horror as the floor beneath Dean suddenly gave way and he disappeared.

"Dean!"

Sam slammed to his knees next to the gaping hole in the floorboards but he couldn't see anything and there was no reply to his frantic cries. He suddenly heard a creaking noise above him and looked up in time to see yet more of the ceiling detach itself. He didn't have time to react though and the rubble connected with his head. He felt himself falling and then there was nothing but darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's note: Thank you SO much to everyone who reviewed the first chapter – I was totally stunned by the response! I'm really glad everyone seems to be enjoying it and I promise to try and keep updating pretty quickly! _

_And so on with the next chapter... :)_

Dean groaned. He really hoped somebody managed to get the number of the truck that _had_ to have run him over. And then reversed over him for good measure.

He opened his eyes and blinked, trying to clear his vision. He couldn't see much, but he was aware that was because there was hardly any light wherever the hell he was, not because he couldn't see. At least that was one problem he could cross off his list.

He tried to move but a blinding pain in his side told him _that _was a really bad idea. As soon as the stars cleared from his vision he tried just moving his head instead. As far as he could tell he was in some sort of basement. There was rubble everywhere and he frowned as he tried to remember how he wound up there. It came back to him in a flash – the earthquake, falling through the floor and then nothing.

"Shit – Sam!" he muttered. Fear for his little brother overrode any concern for his own health, and he struggled to pull himself up. He managed to get up on his elbows this time, but dark spots danced in front of his eyes and he clamped his teeth together as his breakfast threatened to make a second appearance. The nausea passed after a moment and he managed to look around the rest of the room. Squinting in the gloom he spotted what looked suspiciously like his brother's legs, a few feet away.

"Ok, come on – you can do this." he said to himself under his breath. He couldn't help but groan out loud as he pulled himself up onto his knees.

"_Son _of a bitch!" he cursed. His entire left side felt like it was on fire, not to mention about a million bruises up and down his body. His head was pounding in time to his heartbeat and his vision was starting to go blurry around the edges again. He suddenly realised that not only did his side feel like it was on fire, it felt wet too. Reaching down he felt inside his jacket and even in the dim light he could see that his hand was covered in something dark when he bought it back out.

"Ah, crap."

This day was just getting better and better. Deciding to worry about this delightful new development once he knew his brother was alright, Dean pushed aside the pain and managed to crawl over to where Sam lay.

His brother was on his back, one arm flung out to the side and the other lying across his chest. His eyes were closed and there was some blood on the side of his head.

"Sammy – hey Sam, come on man, talk to me." said Dean, desperation clouding his voice.

As if somehow tuned into Dean's voice, Sam's eyelids fluttered.

"That's it – come on Sam, you can do it." said Dean encouragingly.

Sam eyes opened and he blinked.

"You with me Sammy?"

He shifted his head to look at Dean and squinted at his brother.

"Dean?" he said, sounding confused.

"Well at least we know there's no brain damage, although it would have been hard to tell." said Dean with a relieved smirk.

Sam groaned, although Dean couldn't tell if that was from the pain or because of his joke.

"Come on, lets get you sat up Princess." he said, holding out his hand.

Sam grasped it and managed to sit up with Dean's help. Dean bit back another groan as the movement sparked another flare of pain in his side. He wasn't about to let Sam know about that particular gem, at least not until they were out of there.

Sam looked round the room, taking in the rubble, and then looked back at Dean. He noticed the fine sheen of sweat on his brother's face and the dried blood on the side of his head.

"Hey, you ok?" he said with concern, reaching out towards Dean's head.

Dean batted his hand away. "Dude, I'm fine. Apart from being stuck in this basement under a pile of rubble that used to be a house." he said dryly.

Sam rolled his eyes, wincing as the movement sparked a pain in his head. Making a mental note not to do _that _again, he looked back at Dean. He could see there was more to his brother's injuries than Dean was letting on but he could also see Dean was being his usual stubborn self about it.

"Dean.." he began, but Dean cut him off.

"Look, we can compare scars later ok? Right now we need to get out of here." he said firmly.

Sam sighed, but he knew Dean was right about that at least. Staggering to his feet he swayed briefly as a wave of dizziness swept over him.

"You ok?" said Dean.

"Yeah, just dizzy." said Sam.

Once he could see clearly again, he stumbled over the rubble to the middle of the room. Looking up he could just about see the jagged floorboards that they'd fallen through. The ceiling was far too high for them to climb out, so he made his way over to the nearest wall. Feeling his way along he was disappointed to find there was no sign of a door. It was slow progress but he managed to get all the way round, and there was no sign of a way out in any direction. He did come across the remains of some stairs up to a hatch, which was probably how people had originally got in and out of the basement, but sadly they had long since crumbled away.

"Great." he said, dropping his hands against his sides in frustration. He suddenly realised that Dean had left him to check out the whole room by himself, that he had in fact not moved from his spot on the floor. His brow furrowed in concern as he made his way back over to Dean.

Dean was meanwhile busy trying to keep from passing out on the spot. He felt cold and he knew that wasn't a good sign. He could still feel blood running down his side and when he glanced back to where he'd originally been lying he noticed a broken pipe sticking out of the floor. It was most likely what he'd landed on. Just his luck of course – why land anywhere else when there was a perfectly good pipe sticking out of the floor just waiting for him to impale himself on it?

Some days he really did wonder just how much bad luck one person could have.

He was so busy thinking about his misfortune and trying to breathe through the pain that he didn't notice Sam had made his way back over to him. He jumped when his brother put his hand on his shoulder, and swore when that jolted his side.

"Jesus Sam! Don't sneak around like that!" he hissed.

Sam looked at him with concern. "I was hardly sneaking around Dean, not with all this rubble. You just didn't hear me. Now tell me what's really wrong." he said.

Dean sighed. "It's nothing, ok?" he said, knowing already that Sam wasn't going to let the matter drop.

Sure enough Sam just looked at him, one eyebrow raised, with an expression that said he could do this all day. Dean held out for a minute, then closed his eyes in frustration.

"Fine! God you are so annoying – it's just a scratch, that's all."

Sam snorted, knowing his idea of a scratch and Dean's idea of a scratch were vastly different.

"Where?" he said simply and Dean shifted slightly.

"My left side." he said quietly.

He didn't move as Sam lifted up his jacket.

"You got that flashlight?" he said and Dean shook his head.

"Must have dropped it when I fell."

Sam sighed at their luck, and instead lifted the jacket further so he could see more of his brother's side. He cursed when he saw even in the dim light that the entire side of Dean's shirt was soaked in blood.

"A scratch?" he said, his voice a mixture of disbelief and exasperation.

Dean met his gaze sheepishly. "A big scratch?" he said innocently, and Sam whacked him lightly on the shoulder.

"This is not funny, Dean! You're really bleeding here." he said sounding worried.

Dean winced. He hated when Sam sounded like that, especially when he was the one causing the concern.

"Look, it's not like we can do anything about it till we get out of here so there was no point mentioning." he said, trying to sound reasonable.

Sam was way too pissed at the fact he was practically sitting in a pool of his brother's blood to be up for 'reasonable' though.

"Uh-huh, well that makes sense of course. I mean why mention it to me now, when I could at least try and slow the bleeding down, when you can just forget about it and then give me a clue when you pass out!" said Sam, his voice rising.

Dean grimaced. "Ok, first off? Did I mention the headache? Quit yelling at me, Francis. And secondly – I wasn't about to 'pass out'. It's not that bad." he said stubbornly.

Sam sat back on his heels and stared at Dean. This side of his brother never ceased to both amaze him and scare the hell out of him. Dean would always, always insist that whatever injury he had it was 'no big deal' whether it was a splinter or a limb hanging off. He'd blithely carry on, doing his job, protecting everyone else, until in the end his body would shut down of it's own accord. And that scared Sam more than any demon, more than any spirit. Because he dreaded the day that he wasn't around to force Dean to take it seriously, to take care of him whether he liked it or not. It had been his biggest fear at Stanford and one that had resulted in many nightmares, none of which he'd ever been able to explain to Jess.

Dean shifted uncomfortably under Sam's glare. "If you're trying to kill me with your mind I don't think it's working, psychic wonder." he said dryly.

Sam shook his head. "Ass. I was just wondering how someone as smart as you can be so stupid sometimes."

Dean's cocky grin at the smart comment turned into a frown at the stupid part.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he said indignantly.

"It means, quit putting everything else above your own health Dean! Some of us actually happen to give a crap what happens to you, remember?"

Dean looked away, uncomfortable as ever with anything resembling sentiment. He could see how worried Sam was about him though and he could easily imagine how he'd feel. He hadn't forgotten Sam had been knocked out himself.

"Fine. Next time I stub my toe, you'll be the first to hear about it ok?" he said, grinning at Sam in the gloom.

Sam rolled his eyes. "Fine. Jerk."

"Bitch."

Moment effectively over with, Sam turned his attention back to Dean's side. Shrugging off his jacket he took off his shirt, pulling the jacket back over his t-shirt, and set about ripping up the material to try and make some makeshift bandages. Dean just watched, which was about as much as he could manage right now.

"Alright, this is probably gonna hurt." said Sam quietly.

"Gee, ya think?" said Dean dryly.

Sam ignored the sarcasm, helping Dean ease his arm out of his jacket for a moment so he could get a better look. He lifted Dean's shirt and t-shirt, which Dean managed to hold out of the way with his other hand. As Sam got his first look at the wound he felt his stomach knot and he swallowed. There was a deep hole in Dean's side, that seemed to go straight through from front to back. It was oozing blood from both sides, and Sam found himself praying that no vital organs had been damaged.

"Sam?"

Sam realised he'd been staring at the wound silently for a few moments and he flushed.

"Sorry." he said and Dean sighed.

"That bad huh?" he said quietly.

"No, you're right – it's just a scratch." said Sam and Dean snorted.

"You are such a bad liar Sammy." he said, but he appreciated the thought.

Sam quickly made two wads with some of the cloth and somehow managed to hold both while he wrapped a longer strip round to hold them in place. Dean said nothing, but Sam could tell by the clench of his jaw that he was hurting him.

"Sorry." he whispered, hating as always when his brother was in pain.

"Not your fault Sam." said Dean through gritted teeth.

Deciding that he'd done all he could for now Sam helped Dean back into the jacket , knowing the importance of keeping him warm.

Dean shot him a grateful look, but wasn't up to speaking yet as the nausea made an unwelcome appearance again.

Patting Dean reassuringly on the shoulder briefly, Sam got up and looked around the room again. They really needed to get Dean to a hospital but there was no way his brother would manage to reach the floorboards above their head and clamber out. In fact even Sam couldn't manage that as things stood.

Sighing, he dropped back down next to Dean again. Suddenly Dean swore, and Sam turned to face him, instantly concerned.

"What? What's wrong?" he said.

"The car! You think she's ok out there?" said Dean, his face a mask of concern.

Sam blinked. "You're worried about the _car_?" he said with disbelief.

"Hell yeah I'm worried about her! Earthquake, remember? You don't think anything fell on her do you?" said Dean, entirely serious.

Sam threw his hands up in the air and got up, stalking over to the hole in the ceiling again.

"You are unbelievable." he muttered.

"Come on, Sammy – I just put her back together again." said Dean, but Sam ignored him and Dean let out a frustrated sigh.

"Fine. You can walk to the next job." said Dean almost petulantly.

As he watched Sam looking up at the hole, trying to work out how they could reach it, he suddenly felt the ground tremble again.

Sam whirled round, his gaze meeting Dean's, both of them with eyes wide.

"Oh come on – no way!" said Dean, but as the ground shook again in earnest he knew their day had just got worse yet again.

"Aftershock." said Sam, stumbling back towards to Dean. Sure enough the trembling continued, and dust started to rise in clouds all around them. As bits of wood and rubble began to drop from the ceiling, Sam did the only thing he could. Covering Dean with his own body, despite his brother's muffled protest, he closed his eyes and prayed for it to stop soon.


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's note: Thanks for sticking with it everyone! I'm really pleased people have been enjoying it, although apologies to the Sam fans who were hoping for him to be more badly hurt than he was – what can I say? I'm a Dean girl.. :) But I do love Sam in 'protector mode' and I think he's pretty good at it, so that's my excuse! Anyway, enough rambling – here's the next chapter!_

To Sam's relief the aftershock was pretty short-lived, although it felt long enough. He could feel a few more bruises to add to his collection, but nothing felt too badly damaged.

"You ok Sammy?" Dean's voice was muffled, but sounded pretty calm under the circumstances.

"Yeah, I think so. God, I hope that's it." said Sam fervently.

"You and me both. So you're definitely ok?" said Dean.

"Yeah I'm fine, I told you."

"That's great. Any chance you could get off me then?" said Dean with exaggerated patience.

Sam flushed as he realised he was indeed still bent over his brother, ready to protect him from whatever happened next.

"Uh, right. Sorry." he muttered, straightening up.

Dean shot him a look that was part amusement and part exasperation as he straightened up himself, wincing a little as he pulled at his side.

"You know there is one plus to all this." he said, looking around.

Sam raised his eyebrows.

"And what's that?"

"Well, no one's gonna be able to get hurt in the house again. I think it's pretty much sitting on top of us now." said Dean cheerfully.

Sam shook his head. "Oh yeah, cos that is _so _much better. We're buried alive but, hey - the spirit doesn't have a house left to haunt."

"Every cloud, right Sammy?" said Dean, grinning at him.

Sam's lips twitched and he rolled his eyes. "You are such a freak sometimes." he said and Dean's grin just got wider.

"Takes one to know one."

Standing up Sam went back over to the hole in the ceiling. Looking around at all the rubble he decided there was only one thing for it – he was going to have to pile up enough masonry and wood for them to reach the opening. He turned back to Dean.

"Ok, here's what I'm gonna do. If I can pile enough of this stuff up, we can climb up it and get through that hole. It's our best shot." he said.

Dean looked sceptical. "You're gonna need a lot of rubble, Sam." he said, not adding that he wasn't sure he could climb a kerb right now let alone a mountain of bricks and wood.

"I know, but what else can we do? Unless you want to tunnel out of here, and I think I left my shovel in my other jacket." said Sam dryly.

"Smart ass." said Dean, but he had to admit Sam was right.

"Ok, lets do this then."

Dean started to stand but Sam's hand was on his shoulder instantly, pushing him back down gently.

"Oh no – don't even think about it Dean! You're already bleeding all over the place, not to mention what could be going on inside you. You're staying right there." he said firmly.

"Sam.." said Dean, not willing to sit around doing nothing while Sam got them out of this mess but his brother was in a stubborn mood.

"No, I mean it." said Sam.

Dean sighed. "Fine. Who died and put you in charge?" he muttered. He saw Sam pale at his words and instantly regretted them. Comments like that weren't exactly in the best taste given their current circumstances.

Reaching out he grabbed Sam's arm and squeezed. Sam looked at him, seeing the apology in his eyes and nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat. It had been an offhand comment that was all. It wasn't exactly Dean's fault that it played on fears that seemed all too real right now.

Clearing his throat he started to drag as many large pieces of rubble as he could find across to underneath the hole. He was aware the whole time of Dean's worried gaze following him and he couldn't help smiling to himself at the fact that even when he was the one hurt worse, Dean still worried about Sam more than he did about his own health.

It was tiring work and his head was throbbing more with each passing minute. His mouth was really dry too and he wished they had some water with them. He found himself wondering how long they'd been down there now and how much damage had been done to the rest of the city. If he strained hard enough he could hear the odd siren in the distance. Of course that was no help to them – no one would even think of looking for people in the ruins of an old deserted house.

Pausing to get his breath back, Sam glanced over at Dean. His brother had been really quiet while he was working – too quiet. Sam went over to him, noting how pale Dean looked even in the half light and how he was shivering slightly. He looked up at Sam as he saw him coming over and gave a wan smile.

"You're doing a pretty good job there, Sammy." he said. It was true – the pile was already as high as Sam's head and looked pretty solid under the circumstances.

Sam's face lit up at the compliment and he smiled, but it didn't put him off reaching out and laying the back of his hand against Dean's forehead.

Dean pulled his head back, batting Sam's hand away with a frown.

"Dude! Personal space here." he said.

Sam ignored the comment and frowned instead at how cold Dean's skin felt. He was sure Dean had to be going into shock right now. Reaching down he moved Dean's jacket to check the bandages, relieved to find that the bleeding at least seemed to have slowed for now. Dean rolled his eyes at Sam's 'mothering' but he let him get on with it. Truth was he didn't have the energy to do anything else right now. He felt terrible.

"So, what's the verdict, Florence?" he said, earning himself a glare from Sam at yet another new nickname.

"The bleeding's stopped, but you feel pretty cold. We need to get you out of here." said Sam, frustrated at how long things were taking.

"Hey, no argument here." said Dean. "You know if there was two of us building that thing.." he began but Sam cut him off instantly.

"Don't even think about it." he said firmly.

Dean sighed, but stayed where he was, and Sam went back to digging out more rubble.

Now the pile was up to his head he had to start actually clambering up it to add more stuff to the top. He held his breath at first, convinced it was gonna collapse with him in the middle of it, but thankfully it held. Maybe their luck was changing. Dean gave him a relieved grin and a thumbs up – he hadn't been the only one holding his breath.

Before long there were no large pieces of wood or rubble left. There was still a gap between the top of the pile and the hole in the ceiling, but it was high enough that they could hopefully reach the edge and pull themselves up. Climbing back down, Sam brushed his hands off on his jeans and stopped in front of Dean.

"That's as high as I can get it, but I think it's enough. Fancy getting out of here?" he said.

Dean shrugged. "I don't know – the place is kind of growing on me." he said.

Sam chuckled and held out his hands to help Dean up. Dean grasped both of them firmly and took a deep breath, knowing this was going to hurt.

"Ok, on three – one, two, three!" said Sam, pulling gently but firmly as he got to the last number.

Dean groaned as he pushed himself up off the floor. He managed to get to his feet but his knees felt wobbly and the room tilted alarmingly. Without even realising it, he was suddenly leaning against Sam's chest. His brother had his arms firmly round him, literally holding him upright as he waited for Dean to get his bearings. Dean managed to open his eyes and gave Sam a brief nod as he pulled himself up straighter. Sam stepped back a little but kept his hands on Dean's shoulders.

"You ok?" he said, the concern clear in his voice.

"Right as rain." said Dean with a tired smirk. Sam shook his head, but let go of his brother as he walked back towards the mountain of rubble.

"Ok, I'll go first and then I can help you get up." he said. Turning round he realised Dean hadn't moved, and was instead just standing there swaying.

"What is it?" said Sam, stepping back towards him.

"I think you might have to go for help on your own, Sammy." said Dean quietly and Sam shook his head.

"Oh no – no way, Dean! We get out of this, we get out together. I'm not leaving you down here!" he said adamantly.

"You might not have a choice – I can't get up that." said Dean equally adamantly.

"Yes you can – I'll help you." said Sam and Dean looked at him.

"I don't think that's going to work." he said, his voice getting even quieter.

"Why not?" said Sam, moving even closer now, his stomach clenching at the tone of Dean's voice.

"Cos I think I'm gonna pass out."

Dean had barely finished the sentence before what little colour he had left drained from his face and his knees buckled. Sam was near enough to catch him, his knees hitting the floor hard as he took Dean's whole weight in his arms.

"Dean! Dean, come on – don't do this, not now! Dean, please." said Sam, his voice an anguished whisper.

But there was no response. Dean's head rested against Sam's shoulder and his eyes remained stubbornly closed. Sam was on his own.


	4. Chapter 4

Sam tried not to panic. Dean's skin was even colder to the touch than it had been before and his pulse was beating far too fast for Sam's liking. He held Dean closer to him, as if he could somehow pass on his own strength to his brother.

He took a deep breath. Ok, he could do this. Dean's life was in his hands now, and he wasn't about to let him down – not after everything they'd been through. Shifting Dean's weight he managed to stand, pulling Dean with him. Grateful for once for the difference in height that annoyed Dean so much, Sam managed to get him up on his shoulders. At least he wasn't hurting him, but somehow that didn't make him feel all that better.

He began to make his way up the pile of rubble. It was hard going and he had to blink to get rid of the sweat that was dripping into his eyes. For all his teasing about Dean's weight, his brother really was all muscle and he seemed to get heavier with every step. Sam was trying to jostle Dean as little as possible, terrified of aggravating whatever internal injuries he may have. The knowledge that Dean desperately needed to get to hospital kept him going. Pausing halfway up to shift Dean's weight a little, he struggled to get his breath back. He faltered as he felt a wave of dizziness wash over him.

"Not now, please!" he muttered to himself. The last thing he needed was to pass out and send both of them tumbling to the ground again.

Fortunately someone must have been on their side for once, and the dizziness passed. Breathing a sigh of relief he carried on going. It seemed to take forever but at last he made it to the top.

Of course now he was faced with yet another problem. There was still the gap between the pile of rubble and the opening in the ceiling to negotiate. Sam felt a wave of frustration. Why did things always have to be so hard for them? He couldn't let Dean down though – he just couldn't. An image of his brother's face came to mind – a fiercely determined look in his eye as he told Sam that he wasn't going to let him turn evil and he wasn't ever going to let anything happen to him. 23 years of loyalty, and protection, and caring. Now it was Sam's turn to take care of his brother.

Pulling up every reserve of strength that he had, Sam took hold of Dean firmly and lifted him up as high as he could. He just needed to get him clear of the edge. He had no idea how he managed it, but somehow he did. Almost crying with relief he managed to get Dean's weight onto the floorboards above. Praying that they were sturdy enough not to send him crashing back through again, Sam took a deep breath and managed to pull himself up as well.

For a moment he just lay there, getting his breath back. They still weren't out of the woods yet though. Staggering to his feet he finally noticed their surroundings. Dean had been right earlier, the house had literally come down on their heads. Most of the walls had collapsed in on themselves and the roof was on the floor around them.

Shaking himself out of his stupor, Sam went back over to Dean. Lifting him over his shoulder as gently as possible Sam stumbled over the rubble towards the front of the house. He'd never been so pleased to see a road in all his life. Making his way carefully down the steps he made it to the street before his knees gave out. Falling to the floor he somehow managed to keep hold of Dean and laid him gently on the sidewalk. He felt his vision begin to blur and he was dimly aware of hearing footsteps coming towards him and a man's voice asking if he was ok.

He looked up into the concerned face of a stranger, who was reaching out his hand towards Sam's shoulder.

"Please – my brother needs help."

That was all he managed to say before he too succumbed to the darkness.

Sam was dimly aware of voices talking around him. He managed to open his eyes, blinking at the bright light. He was lying down, and the smells and the white ceiling tiles instantly told him that he was in a hospital. Memories of the earthquake and escaping from the house flooded back and he sat up quickly, ignoring the instant dizziness.

"Dean!" he said, his brother's name the first word on his lips.

"Well, slow down there young man – just take it easy." said a female voice.

Sam turned his head and saw a nurse standing to his left. She had a chart in her hand he assumed was his and she gave him a kindly look as she pushed him gently back down.

Sam was having none of it though.

"Please – my brother. I need to know if he's alright." he said desperately.

"Is that the young man you were brought in with?" she said and Sam nodded, ignoring the stab of pain this produced.

"I'll go see what I can find out if you promise to stay right there." she said.

Sam gave a slight smile and agreed, and she left the room. Sitting up, he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and sat there for a moment waiting for the room to stop spinning. He was still dressed, for which he was grateful, but he could no longer feel any dried blood on the side of his face and when he put his hand up to his head he felt a thick bandage covering the cut that had been there. The slight pull told him he'd gained a few stitches.

He wondered how long he'd been out. Clearly long enough for someone to clean him up and stitch his head, which was worrying. He really needed to know how his brother was right now. He was just about to start looking for himself when the door opened and the nurse came back in. She frowned when she saw him sitting up and he cut her off before she could tell him to lie back down again.

"Did you find him?" he said anxiously.

She smiled, which Sam hoped was a good sign. "Yes I did. They took your brother up to surgery about 20 minutes ago to take care of that nasty wound in his side. I told Dr Anderson that you're here, so he's going to come and find you as soon as they're done."

"But did they say anything about how he was?" said Sam, not that reassured by just hearing that Dean was now in surgery.

"Well, they seemed confident that he was strong enough for the surgery so that's a good sign. We could do with some information for both of you, if you're feeling up to it?" she said.

Sam nodded and she handed him some forms. He filled them in almost unconsciously, his mind still on Dean and how he was doing. Having picked the first alias he could think of that had an up to date insurance card, he handed the forms back to the nurse.

She seemed to sense he was still concerned for his brother and gave him a kind smile.

"Try not to worry too much honey – we're taking care of your brother, I promise."

Sam nodded and managed a half hearted smile. As far as he was concerned he'd spent far too much time recently stuck in hospitals waiting for news about Dean. He was really getting tired of it.

"You know you haven't asked how you're doing yet." said the nurse, sounding slightly amused.

Sam flushed as he realised she was right. "Ok, how am I doing?" he said and she smiled at him again.

"Well, you're doing just fine. You have a slight concussion and we gave you a few stitches for that cut on your head. We'd like you to stay here overnight, just for observation." she said.

Sam nodded. That wouldn't be a problem – he was going nowhere without Dean anyway.

"I'll go find you a gown and you can get changed out of those dirty clothes." she said.

"Uh, couldn't I just stay dressed? I want to be able to see my brother when he gets out of surgery." pleaded Sam.

The nurse took pity on him. "Well, you can't really stay in those clothes – you're messing up our sterile environment." she said chuckling. "Tell you what, I'll see if I can find you some spare scrubs. Would that suit you?"

Sam nodded gratefully. "Yeah, thanks." he said.

Left alone again he stood up and went over to the window. Glancing at his watch he saw it was mid afternoon. He could see smoke in several places that was most likely coming from building fires or possibly car accidents. The hospital seemed pretty undamaged, or at least this room was. He wondered how bad the earthquake had been and how many people had got hurt. He also found himself thinking about the Impala and shook his head – Dean was getting him at it now with that damn car of his.

He turned round as the nurse came back in.

"These should fit you, although they're probably not the most stylish thing you've ever worn!" she said.

Sam took them from her. "I'm sure they're fine – thank you so much." he said.

"I'll leave you to get changed. You just push that button over there if you need anything." she said and Sam nodded.

Twenty minutes later Sam was literally climbing the walls. He _really _needed to see Dean right now, to know that he was ok. From what the friendly nurse had said before it was a good forty minutes since they'd taken Dean to surgery. How long did these things take? And was it a good sign if they came and found him quickly or if it took longer?

His head was really pounding again and he wondered if he could ask for some painkillers.

At that moment the door opened and a young guy in a white coat came in. He looked up at Sam and smiled.

"Hey, you must be Ben Winters right? I'm Dr Anderson, I've been looking after your brother Tom." he said holding out his hand.

Sam shook it, just wanting him to get on with it but biting his tongue.

"How is he?" he said anxiously and Anderson smiled.

"He's doing really well. He was very lucky actually, there was no internal damage and we were able to clean the wound thoroughly and close it without any problems. He had lost quite a lot of blood, so we gave him a transfusion, but his blood pressure has stabilised and he's doing well. He also has a slight concussion, but again we're not expecting any lasting effects. He's going to be just fine – I promise." he said.

Sam felt his knees buckle and had to grab hold of the windowsill behind him. Anderson made a move towards him, but Sam waved him off.

"I'm fine, I'm ok – just really relieved." he said, unable to stop smiling.

The doctor nodded. "I'll bet you are. We're just getting him settled and then we'll be bringing him in here. You may as well be in the same room." he said.

Sam looked at him gratefully. "That's great, thank you so much." he said. He could have kissed the guy right now, he really could.

Anderson just smiled again and left Sam to it. Sam sat down on the bed and rested his elbow on his knee and his head in his hand. He could feel tears burning in his eyes and knew it was from the relief and adrenaline he'd been feeling since the earthquake began. He just couldn't put into words what it meant to hear a doctor giving him good news about his brother for once, but he still really wanted to see him.

Ten of the longest minutes in his life later, Sam looked up as the door opened and two orderlies wheeled Dean in. They smiled at Sam as they got the bed set up and checked all the equipment and IVs.

Sam waited until they had gone before going straight over to his brother. Dean looked pale still, but a lot better than he had last time Sam had seen him. He too had a white bandage on the left hand side of his head, and a bruise on his cheek Sam hadn't noticed in the gloom of the basement. Sam was pleased that at least they didn't have him on any of the serious equipment for a change. He had a nasal cannula giving him oxygen and an IV that Sam guessed was replacing lost fluids, and maybe antibiotics as well against infection. Now he just needed Dean to wake up – he really needed to hear his voice again.

Knowing Dean would kill him if he found him doing this, Sam reached out and took Dean's hand in his. Sitting down in the chair between the two beds he settled back to wait for Dean to wake up. He hoped he wouldn't have to wait too long.


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's note: Ok, so we have almost reached the end ! I was going to stop here but the chapter started growing, so there will be one more after this! _

_I have been so totally blown away by the number of reviews I've had for this one. Thank you SO much to every one of you – it really does make my day reading all your lovely comments. _

_Makes me write faster too! LOL:)_

Dean was floating quite comfortably. He was pleasantly numb and everything was calm, and relaxed. Something was niggling at him though, some important memory he couldn't quite keep hold of. It grew stronger until he couldn't ignore it anymore. He needed to wake up.

He blinked his eyes slowly and winced at the bright light. Squinting, he waited for the room to come into focus, recognising straight away as it did that he was in a hospital. Again.

Sighing at the all too familiar circumstances, he suddenly realised he could feel something on his left hand. Turning his head he saw Sam sitting beside him, dressed for some reason like a doctor, with his eyes closed and his chin resting on his chest. And he was..

"Oh, you've _got _to be kidding me!"

There was no doubt about it – Sam was holding his hand.

They were so not related.

Clearing his throat loudly he felt a pang of pleasure as Sam jumped awake, looking for all the world like a deer in headlights. Blinking it took him a second to realise that Dean was looking at him. When he did, his face split into a wide grin.

"Dean!" he said, leaning forward. "Man, it's good to see you."

"Uh-huh." said Dean, giving a significant look down to their hands and then back up at Sam.

Sam followed his gaze and flushed, hastily letting go. Dean just rolled his eyes, but decided not to comment given how rough Sam looked. He knew it had to have been tough for him, sitting there waiting for him to wake up.

"So, uh, how you feeling?" said Sam, grateful not to be on the receiving end of a sarcastic comment.

"Pleasantly numb. How are you doing?" said Dean looking at the bandage on Sam's head with concern.

Shaking his head at the fact Dean was instantly more worried about his health, as usual, Sam shrugged.

"I'm fine – just a minor concussion, no big deal. They want me to stay overnight though so you've got yourself a roomate." he said with a grin.

Dean snorted. "No change there then."

Truth was he was pleased to hear that. It sounded really sappy but he was so used to sharing a room with Sam, it had always felt weird when he didn't.

Not that he was EVER going to tell him that of course.

"Don't you want to hear how you are?" said Sam dryly and it was Dean's turn to shrug.

"I was kinda assuming you'd get to that." he said and Sam rolled his eyes.

"Well, you were actually pretty lucky. You didn't damage anything internally and they stitched you up good as new. You got a concussion, same as me, and they'll need to keep you here for a few days as you lost so much blood but other than that you'll be fine." he said, unable to keep the relief from his voice.

Dean gave him a cocky grin. "See? Told you it was just a scratch."

Sam's look of disbelief was enough to tell Dean that he probably shouldn't push his luck right now. Deciding a change of subject was in order, he realised he had no idea how they'd got out.

"So just how did we end up here anyway?" he said with a frown and Sam ducked his head a little.

"I, uh, managed to carry you up to the ceiling and then pulled you through the hole." he said giving an extremely simplified version of events. "I managed to get us outside and some guy was passing and found us. I managed to ask for help before I sort of passed out, and next thing I woke up here." he said.

Dean looked at him, eyebrows raised. He'd seen how high that 'rubble ladder' was and to hear that Sam had carried him up it, while injured himself, was astonishing. Pride and affection shone out from his usually guarded gaze.

"Damn, Sammy – that's pretty impressive." he said and Sam blushed.

"Not really – I didn't have a choice. You needed help." he said softly.

Dean found himself slightly stunned by the simple conviction of that statement. It wasn't that he didn't trust Sam to take care of him, he did as it happened, but he wasn't used to being in that position and the determination that it must have taken on Sam's part to get them both out of there safely both touched and astounded Dean.

Waiting until Sam looked up at him again, Dean smiled. For once it wasn't cocky, or amused, or half hearted it was a totally open, full of affection smile that he'd always reserved only for those closest to him.

"Thanks Sam." he said simply, knowing that Sam could see in his eyes the full depth of meaning behind those two simple words.

Sam was blown away by the rare display of emotion on his brother's face and he found he couldn't speak past the lump in his throat so he had to settle for nodding and smiling in return. He was struck by how much younger Dean looked when he wasn't busy projecting an image or putting on a front. He wished his brother would open up like that more often, but for now he was just grateful that Dean allowed him to be the one to see that side of himself, however rare it was.

Really needing to get things on a less sappy footing, Dean cleared his throat. He suddenly realised Sam hadn't said anything about the Impala.

"Hey, did you get a chance to check on the car?" he said.

Sam stared at him. He supposed he should be impressed it had actually taken Dean this long to ask about her.

"Funny enough, no I haven't. I was kinda busy being unconscious and then waiting for you to wake up. Not important things I know, but that's just me."

Dean raised an eyebrow. "Just a simple no would have done, Sam." he said dryly.

Sam rolled his eyes. "You want me to call the motel, get the guy to check on her?" he said grudgingly, wincing at the fact that he'd actually just called it 'her'. There really was no hope.

Dean's grateful look was enough to make it worth it though, and Sam dug some change out of his jacket.

"Stay here." he said firmly, knowing it wasn't beyond Dean to escape while his back was turned.

Dean just indicated the IV with a look that said 'Where the hell do you think I'm going with this?'.

Five minutes later Sam came back with the news that Jerry – the manager of the motel – was very relieved they were ok, would keep their room for them with no extra charge, and that Dean's beloved car was just fine.

Dean let out a sigh of relief and relaxed against the pillow. Sam couldn't help chuckling as he sat back down on his own bed. For a few moments there was silence, both of them just enjoying the fact that they'd survived yet another close call and that they were together still.

"Hey Sam?" said Dean eventually. Sam turned and looked at him.

"What?"

"You think we still need to take care of that spirit?" he said with a frown.

Sam snorted. "Well there's definitely no house for it to haunt anymore. You were right, the whole thing came down like a pack of cards."

"Yeah, but still – it might be attached to the site, not the house." said Dean and Sam sighed.

"True. I can check it out tomorrow, when they discharge me." he said.

Dean instantly shook his head. "You're not going back there alone, Sam" he said and Sam looked amused.

"No offence Dean, but you wouldn't exactly be much help right now if you did come with me, which you're NOT before you even say it. I'll just take a look round, check out the EMF, that's all."

Dean frowned, still not happy about it. He had to admit Sam had a point though – he wasn't sure he could even stand up right now, let alone take on a spirit.

"Fine." he said sulkily and Sam struggled not to grin at how petulant Dean sounded. Sometimes he really did wonder if his brother had ever actually got past puberty.

Knowing Dean's frustration came from worry about Sam having to tackle things alone, Sam relented a little.

"Look, I'll just sweep the place and see if there's any sign of it ok? If it is still there then we'll work out what to do next – deal?"

Dean recognised the peace offering and nodded. "Deal."

Even as he spoke, Dean suddenly gave a huge yawn.

"You should get some sleep." said Sam, concern showing on his face again. Dean rolled his eyes.

"Come on Sam, it's a little early don't you think?"

"That doesn't matter – did I forget to mention the huge amount of blood you left in that house?" said Sam raising his eyebrow and giving Dean a determined look.

Dean muttered something about 'worrying too much', but he had to admit he was feeling pretty wiped out still.

"Fine. At least put the tv on would you? It's like a morgue in here."

Sam shot him a disbelieving look. "Nice choice of words there, Dean." he said and Dean just looked at him innocently.

"What?"

Shaking his head Sam got up and put the tv on, flicking until he came to a news channel. They may as well find out how bad the quake had been.

Reports said it had been concentrated in the outskirts of the city, unfortunately for Dean and Sam exactly where they'd been at the time. There was some structural damage, flooding from broken water pipes, and a few fires but thankfully few fatalities. The overall view seemed to be that things could have been a lot worse. Glancing at his brother Sam had to agree.

Dean's eyelids were drooping and it was almost amusing watching him jerk back awake every few minutes. Sam watched him with an expression of fond amusement before he finally switched the tv off.

Dean looked at him sleepily. "Hey, I was watching that." he said and Sam snorted.

"Yeah, right – through the back of your eyelids. Just go to sleep Dean, you need it." he said gently.

Dean frowned, not keen at being told what to do and also for some reason anxious about being out of things again. He guessed it was residual adrenaline from what they'd been through, but knowing Sam had been on his own trying to get them to safety he was reluctant to leave his brother on his own again. Even if that was irrational.

Sam could see Dean was worried about something.

"What's wrong?" he said softly and Dean shrugged.

"Nothing. I just don't like being out of the loop that's all." he admitted.

Sam smiled. "Hey, nothing's gonna happen here, Dean. Just relax, ok?"

"What about you?" said Dean, hating that his voice sounded slightly 'whinier' than he would have liked. Like a child seeking reassurance before settling down to bed at night.

"I'll probably fall asleep soon too to be honest." admitted Sam. "I'll be right here when you wake up, I promise." he said gently.

Dean was about to protest that hadn't been what he was worried about, but then it occurred to him that it was on some level. Ever since the accident and John's death he'd found himself more anxious about Sam disappearing, not necessarily because he would leave Dean – he was actually more secure about that than he ever had been – but more because of worry that something would happen to his brother.

Sam it seemed understood him better than he understood himself, which was a little scary but also comforting in a way. And at least his brother wasn't making fun of him for being slightly sappy about all this. In fact he seemed to accept it without any questions at all.

Flashing Sam a quick, slightly grateful, smile Dean lay back and closed his eyes. Within minutes he was asleep.

Sam waited until his brother's breathing evened out completely before getting up. He went over to Dean's bed and gently moved the blankets so they were covering Dean a little better. He'd never have dared do this while Dean was awake, knowing it definitely crossed the Winchester line of 'mushiness'. Satisfied that Dean was now warm and comfortable, Sam got back into his own bed. Truth was he was feeling pretty whacked himself. Lying down he listened to Dean's breathing, a reassuring presence after the day they'd had, and soon he too was asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

When Sam opened his eyes again the room was filled with bright sunlight. Blinking, he wondered what time it was. Last thing he remembered it had been mid afternoon the day of the earthquake.

Turning to look at Dean he saw his brother was eating something from a tray in front of him, watching the tv with the sound turned down and subtitles on.

As aware of his surroundings as ever, Dean sensed Sam was awake and turned to look at him.

"Morning Princess." he said with a grin.

Sam pulled himself to a sitting position and stretched, deliberately ignoring the nickname designed to annoy him.

"What time is it?" he said.

"Just after 8." said Dean sounding slightly muffled as he was chewing.

"In the morning?" said Sam incredulously and Dean snorted.

"Yeah in the morning – the sunshine not a big enough clue for you, Sammy?"

Sam shot him a glare which Dean ignored as always. He couldn't believe he'd slept for that long, but he guessed it was his body's way of telling him he needed the rest.

"So how long you been awake for?" he said and Dean shrugged.

"Not that long. The nurse said she'd be back in a bit see if you were awake for breakfast. Although don't get excited – you might be better off saying you're not hungry." said Dean, poking the food on his plate with a disgusted look on his face.

Sam grinned at Dean's expression. "You want me to bring you some real food back later?" he said, knowing he'd be discharged soon.

"Sammy, you bring me some real food you'll be my favourite brother." said Dean, and Sam snorted.

"I'm your only brother Dean." he said dryly and Dean just smirked at him.

"Doesn't mean you're my favourite." he said and Sam just shook his head. He gave up trying to work out how Dean's mind functioned sometimes.

At that moment the nurse came back in.

"Ah, I see you're awake. And how are you feeling this morning?" she said kindly.

"Much better, thanks." said Sam. Dean was making 'sucking up' faces at him, knowing the nurse couldn't see him from that angle, and Sam struggled to ignore him. Maybe he'd bring him back a salad as payback.

"Well, the doctor will want to check you out when he does his rounds shortly, but I'd say you'll be free to go soon as that's done."

Sam nodded but before he could say anything Dean cut in.

"What about me – can I check out of here today too?" he said, flashing the nurse his most charming grin.

She chuckled. "Oh, I don't know about that dear – you've still got that IV going and you did have surgery only yesterday. I think we'll want to keep you in a little longer."

Sam struggled not to laugh at Dean's disappointed look. He looked like a kid who'd just had his favourite toy taken away.

The nurse left them alone again and Dean sighed in frustration.

"Come on Dean, she's right." said Sam trying to reason with him. "You were hurt far worse than I was, you can't just expect to walk out of here today."

"I feel fine. Much better. They're just covering their asses so I don't sue them." grumbled Dean.

Knowing nothing except getting out of there would cheer Dean up, Sam let him be and waited for the doctor to come and check him out. Thirty minutes later he'd been declared fit to leave and had his stuff in a bag ready to take back to the motel room. He didn't really fancy putting on the clothes that were full of dust again.

"You got enough money for a cab?" said Dean, trying not to look too jealous that Sam was escaping.

"Yeah, I don't think we're that far from the motel." said Sam. Now the time had come he was actually reluctant to leave Dean behind, even though he knew it was irrational.

Dean seemed to sense this and bucked himself up a little.

"Hey, come on – it's not that bad. Least you can take a shower and get rid of all that dust you've still got in your hair." he said.

Sam frowned and put his hand up to his hair, brushing it to see if any dust came out.

Dean's chuckle told him he'd just walked into a trap somehow.

"Man, you are such a girl about that hair of yours, Samantha." said Dean and Sam glared at him.

"Very funny, Dean. Keep it up and I'll forget to bring any food back with me later."

Dean groaned. "Oh come on, Sam! Now you're just playing dirty! I'll have lost half my body weight by the time they let me out of here with that stuff they call food."

Sam shook his head. "Well, we can't have you fading away can we? I'll see what I can do. I'll get cleaned up and then I'll go sweep the house before I come back ok? I won't be too long."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Take your time, it's not like I can go anywhere. If you drive back here, be careful with my baby ok? No telling what crap is all over the roads after the quake."

"You really are scary with that car, you know that right?" said Sam and Dean just glared at him.

"I mean it Sam – not a scratch on her."

Sam waved a hand in what might be classed as agreement and made his way over to the door. He looked back at Dean, still not keen about leaving.

Dean shook his head. "Go, would you? I'll be here when you get back."

Sam ducked his head and nodded, giving Dean a final wave as he left the room.

The cab ride only took 5 minutes and he was relieved to see the Impala sitting exactly where they'd left her, unharmed. He'd never admit that to Dean though – no need to tell him that he was actually pretty attached to her too when it came down to it. Patting her hood as he walked past, and rolling his eyes at the fact he was now channelling Dean, he let himself into their room. A few of the pictures were hanging at odd angles and the lamp was on the floor but other than that it was undamaged.

One long hot shower later Sam was feeling more human again. Dressing in clean clothes he grabbed one of the EMF meters and put it in his pocket. Deciding against taking the car given the damage that had been done to the road the house was in, Sam walked the two blocks back to where they'd been.

The damage was more obvious in that street and he actually shuddered as he saw the wreckage of the old house. It had been far too close for comfort, again. Shaking off the negative thoughts he suddenly noticed that there was police tape around what was left of the house and several uniformed cops digging around in the rubble.

Slowing down so that it looked as if he was just taking a casual stroll, Sam stopped by a small group of people who were observing what was happening with much interest.

"Hey, what's with the cops?" he said nonchalantly to the guy nearest to him. The man turned round to face Sam and seemed to decide that he looked normal enough.

"Seems like the quake brought up a body. Pretty old one too I think, just bones from what they said. A couple of young lads got trapped down there so the police were making sure no one else had wandered in. That's when they found the bones. They think they'd been in one of the walls. How awful, that poor person stuck there all that time." he said shuddering.

"Yeah, terrible." said Sam absently. It certainly explained the ghostly goings on at least – the spirit had probably been pretty mad at the fact no one knew it's body was there and at least now they had something to salt and burn. With the minor setback of the fact the place was now crawling with cops.

Deciding to go back and tell Dean what was happening, Sam thanked the guy for the information and headed back to the motel.

Dean was glad he didn't have any of their guns with him right now – he'd have definitely shot himself just to get out of the misery that was daytime tv.

As if knowing somehow that his brother was reaching his boredom limit, the door opened and in came Sam. He was carrying a brown paper bag and Dean sat up eagerly, ignoring the pull on his stitches.

"Tell me that's real food." he said longingly.

Sam chuckled at the sight of Dean's hopeful face. He looked like a kid on christmas morning.

"Well, not by my definition but I think it is by yours." he said, handing Dean the bag.

Dean ripped it open, inhaling the scent of a burger with all the trimmings and french fries still piping hot.

"Sam, you are officially my most favourite person in the whole world." he said, sighing happily as he took his first bite.

Sam just shook his head. You'd think Dean hadn't eaten for a week, not just 24 hours. Sitting down in the chair he glanced up at the tv.

"Oprah?" he said incredulously and Dean rolled his eyes.

"Trust me it's the best there is." he mumbled, putting Sam in serious danger of being sprayed with beef and lettuce.

"Dude! Not with your mouth full!" said Sam in disgust and Dean just grinned and carried on chewing happily.

Switching off the latest drama in middle America, Sam turned his attention back to his brother.

"So, I went back to the house." he said and Dean inclined his head to show he was listening but didn't give Sam a view of his dinner this time.

"Yeah, it's been cordoned off by the cops." Sam continued and Dean raised his eyebrows. "They found the remains of a body in there. Quake must have shaken it loose from inside the walls. I'd say that answers the question about where our spirit came from."

Dean swallowed before speaking. "So you think it'll still be hanging around?" he said.

"Depends on what it was after. If it just wanted to be put to rest then that should be enough, but it was after revenge of some kind.. Either way I'd feel better if we could salt and burn the bones."

"I take it you didn't try that then?" said Dean dryly and Sam just looked at him.

"Yeah, I was gonna ask the cops to hold the lighter for me. You don't think it would have attracted attention, do you?"

Dean snorted. "Maybe a little. So what do we do now then?"

"Well, _we _don't do anything – you're still in hospital remember? I'm gonna go back later tonight and see if they've removed the bones yet. If they leave them there to collect the forensic evidence, I may be able to sneak in and take care of it there and then."

Dean frowned. "That's pretty risky. You could end up arrested for arson and we really don't need the cops looking at us too closely." he said.

Sam sighed. "I know, but we don't have much choice do we? Look I'll only do it if I'm sure there's no one around. If they've already taken the bones away then there's not much we can do. I mean, the house is gone now so it could be the spirit won't cause anymore hassle anyway."

"Yeah, that would be nice wouldn't it? We're not normally that lucky though are we?" said Dean, taking another bite of his burger.

Sam had to agree. But then they had managed to get out of there in relatively one piece, and given how hopeless it had seemed at first maybe it was a sign their luck was changing.

He sat back in the chair, happy to just relax for a minute and spend time with Dean. In between bites of food, Dean told him about some of the people he'd been watching on Oprah that morning and Sam had to laugh at some of the stories. And he'd thought _their_ family was weird.

Dean had just finished eating when Dr Anderson came in again. In a sleight of hand so fast it was almost invisible, Dean handed Sam the empty bag and Sam shoved it in his pocket. If the doctor could smell the food in the air he chose not to mention it.

"If you don't mind I just want to check on your stitches." he said cheerfully.

"I'll wait outside." said Sam and Dean mouthed the word 'Wuss' at him as he left. Sam just stuck his tongue out as he went through the door, knowing Anderson couldn't see him.

A few minutes later the doctor was done, proclaiming that everything was healing nicely and there was no sign of infection. They'd also finished with the IV, having brought Dean's fluid level back to what it should be.

"So, there's no reason for me to stay here then?" said Dean and Sam shot him a look that his brother studiously ignored.

"Well, I'm not sure about that.." Dr Anderson began but Dean cut him off with his most charming smile.

"It's just we're really keen to get back home, our folks will be worrying about us what with the quake. And I promise to take it easy. That would be ok, wouldn't it?" he said.

Dr Anderson seemed to think about. "Well, I suppose so. You really would need to take things easy though. No exertion for at least two weeks and you'll need to get those stitches out in a week's time. I'd like you to take a course of antibiotics too, just as a precaution."

Dean leapt on the opening. "No problem, doc. I'll do exactly as I'm told, cross my heart."

"Ok, I'll sort out your release papers and a prescription for the antibiotics." said Anderson, a little reluctantly.

As he left the room Dean looked up into Sam's glare.

"What?" he said.

"You know what, Dean! Why are you in such a hurry to get out of here? They wanted you to stay in for a reason you know!"

"Oh come on, Sammy! I'm fine, you heard what he said." said Dean and Sam raised his eyebrows.

"You bet I heard what he said. And you're going to be doing exactly what you were told to do for the next two weeks, or I will have a word with Dr Anderson and make sure you stay right here for that long instead."

Dean looked at him. "Oh you can't be serious!" he said but Sam's determined look told him his brother was deadly serious.

"Fine!" said Dean, throwing his hands up in frustration. "I'll do exactly as I'm told for the next two weeks – happy?"

"Ecstatic." said Sam with a triumphant grin.

"You are such a pain in the ass." muttered Dean under his breath. He knew Sam meant well but it was gonna be hell stuck on his ass for the next two weeks with his brother hovering over him every minute of the day. On the other hand, it beat being stuck in hospital so he guessed it was the lesser of two evils.

Not happy that Dean was discharging himself, but relatively pleased that he'd at least promised to take it easy, Sam got Dean's things together. If he'd known he'd be taking his brother back with him he'd have brought a change of clothes. As it was, there was no way Dean could put his own clothes back on, they were too bloodstained.

Grinning evilly, a thought occurred to Sam.

"I'll be back in a second." he said, not giving Dean a chance to ask any questions.

As they pulled slowly into the motel parking lot Dean had his door open practically before the wheels had stopped moving.

"I can't believe you made them give me this to wear!" he said, indicating the green scrubs with a look of disgust on his face. "I look like some 'ER' wannabe." he grumbled.

Sam just chuckled. The look on Dean's face when he'd brought him his 'outfit' had been priceless. It was only the fact that he refused to stay in hospital a minute longer that had Dean putting them on, all the while glaring daggers at Sam.

Even the joy of being in his baby again had not stopped Dean bitching about the scrubs all the way back to the motel. Sam just let the complaints slide off him though – it was wicked winding his brother up when he'd just got out of hospital, but the pictures he'd surreptitiously taken with his phone would give him enough leverage to make sure Dean stuck to his side of the bargain to take things easy.

Stomping into their motel room and brushing off Sam's offer of help, Dean headed straight for the bathroom. Sam sighed as he realised there was no point telling Dean not to get his stitches wet. He'd just have to rebandage them after. They'd picked up the antibiotics despite Dean's protests and some more cream and bandages as well before they'd gone back to the motel. Sam was taking no chances with his brother's health, whether he liked it or not.

Ten minutes later Dean emerged from the bathroom in a slightly better mood now he was wearing his own clothes. He even grudgingly let Sam put cream on his side and rebandage it, knowing Sam was only worrying because he cared.

Pulling a t-shirt over his head very carefully, Dean sat down on the bed.

"So when do you want to go check out these bones?" he said and Sam shook his head.

"_I _will go later, when it gets dark. You're staying right here." he said firmly.

"Oh come on – I can at least wait in the car and keep a look out." said Dean.

Sam glared at him and debated which was worse. Dean stuck in their motel room, getting himself worked up about what Sam was doing, or Dean sitting in the car where he could potentially do something stupid like come running to Sam's rescue if something went wrong. Deciding that there was something to be said for at least having him in sight, Sam reluctantly agreed.

"Alright – but you stay in the car and you do nothing, are we clear?"

"Yes, sir!" said Dean giving Sam a mock salute.

The afternoon passed quickly. Dean slept through most of it, despite having protested that he was 'absolutely fine'. Sam slipped out to get some dinner just after dusk and woke Dean so he could eat and take his pill, which he did with much eye rolling.

As soon as it was properly dark they left the room and drove the Impala to the street just before the one the house was in. Sam didn't want to attract attention with the distinctive sounding engine, but he wanted to be able to make a fast getaway if necessary.

Switching off the engine he turned to face Dean.

"Now you stay here, ok? I mean it – do not even think about getting out of this car."

"Fine, I got it! Geez, Francis, you need to drink a little less caffeine you know that?" said Dean dryly.

Sam shook his head and got out, grabbing what he needed from the trunk. As he walked past the car Dean wound down his window.

"Hey Sam – be careful, ok?" he said, deadly serious now.

"I will." said Sam reassuringly, before heading off at a quick walking pace. To his relief they didn't seem to have left anyone on guard. Moving fast he went up the steps and got his flashlight out as soon as he was far enough away from the road. It wasn't hard to find the spot where the bones had been found and someone was definitely on their side for once as they were still there.

"Thank you." muttered Sam quietly, aiming it at whichever deity was giving them a hand for a change. He quickly salted the bones and lighting a match dropped it onto the pile. The flames leapt instantly, and Sam quickly walked back out of the house and down the road, almost jogging. He kept his eyes and ears peeled for any sign of pursuit but it seemed his little trip had gone unnoticed. He just hoped the cops had all the forensic evidence they'd needed.

Dean looked at him as he slid back into the seat and gunned the engine.

"Well?"

"All done." said Sam with a grin.

"You're kidding me?" said Dean, not believing that for once it had been that easy.

"Nope. Bones were still there and I salted and burned them. All the cops will find tomorrow is a pile of ash. No way that particular spirit can cause anymore harm." he said, satisfied.

"Well I should hope not – turned out to be one pain in the ass gig." said Dean and Sam nodded.

"Yeah, well we were just unlucky I guess. Hasn't been a big quake here for a few years now."

Dean snorted. "Well there would be one soon as we arrived right? I mean that's the sort of thing that always happens to us."

Sam shot Dean a look, concerned at the sudden bitterness in his voice. Anxious to knock Dean out of whatever black mood was settling on his brother he nudged Dean with his arm.

"Hey. It could have been worse, man." he said quietly and Dean looked at him. His expression softened.

"Yeah, you're right. Just ignore me." he said and Sam smiled, pleased to see a lighter look on Dean's face.

As they drove back to the motel Sam felt relieved that this particular gig was over with. It had been a straightforward enough job, but one that had turned out more deadly than they could have imagined.

Parking in front of their room they got out and went in, Dean still moving slower than usual. As Dean shrugged off his jacket and sat down with a relieved sigh, Sam sat down opposite him.

"So I was thinking," he began. Dean looked at him a little warily.

"Should I be worried?"

Sam reached out and whacked him lightly on the leg.

"No, smart ass. I was thinking maybe we could drive into the city – take in some of those sights you were so keen to see." he said.

Dean frowned. "I thought you were against the whole 'tourist' thing." he said and Sam shrugged.

"Yeah, well – maybe it wouldn't be so bad. And we can't exactly do any hunting for the next two weeks, not till you're back on your feet." he said, his determined look cutting off any arguments on that front.

Dean looked at him. "When you put it like that. You're sure you won't be bored?" he said, putting Sam above himself as usual.

"No, I wouldn't be bored. It would be fun actually, the two of us seeing all that stuff." said Sam softly. He could still see his brother's almost lifeless body as he'd carried it from the rubble. It had been too close, again, and he needed a break almost as much as Dean did. The idea of just spending time together, hanging out and doing the tourist thing like 'normal' people was extremely appealing right now. Plus it was something Dean had really wanted to do and that was good enough for Sam. Dean put everyone else's needs above his own so often it was time someone gave something back. And Sam was more than happy to be that guy.

Dean grinned, his face lighting up at the idea of seeing all the cool stuff San Francisco had to offer.

"Alright, lets do it – this is gonna be so cool." he said happily.

Sam smiled fondly at Dean's excitement. It would be cool. And a fitting end to a trip that had almost turned out to be disastrous for them.

Listening to Dean talk about all the places they could visit, Sam let himself relax at last. They'd dodged the bullet this time and whatever else happened, that was more than enough for Sam. As long as Dean was still with him, everything was ok.

Looking over at Dean he couldn't help but smile. As Dean caught his look he rolled his eyes at how sappy Sam's expression was right now, but he found himself smiling back. He too was more than happy that for once their usual drama had a happy ending, thanks to his little brother's determination to take care of him. He didn't plan on making a habit of the role reversal, but it was comforting to know he had that to fall back on if he needed. That Sam had his back, as always.

His smile turned into a grin as he thought of something.

"Hey Sammy – maybe we'll bump into those Halliwell sisters after all." he said wiggling his eyebrows.

Sam laughed out loud. Dean really was something else sometimes. But Sam wouldn't change him for the world.

_Author's note: "And she stops rambling at last!" Hadn't intended for this to be so long, but I hope it's been worth it! I blame watching Usual Suspects 4 times in 4 days for my current SN overload! LOL!_

_I've so enjoyed reading your lovely reviews and it's made it so worthwhile that people have been enjoying it – thank you all very much! _

_I am now going to go lie down and recover... But I'll be back with another, possibly shorter one, soon:)_


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